


In the Pouring Rain

by IntrospectiveInquisitor



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: I guess it's shipping?, M/M, Possibly Pre-Slash, Touya actually talks more than N for once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 20:44:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5063440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IntrospectiveInquisitor/pseuds/IntrospectiveInquisitor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Touya is probably gonna die of pneumonia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Pouring Rain

Touya was caught out in the rain. Droplets fell like lead weights against his hunched back, soaking his jacket and dripping off the brim of his hat. Tall blades of grass bowed under the weight of the watery deluge, but still reached high enough to tickle his nose and impair his vision. Open road should have been to his left, but he'd gotten turned around so many times that he barely knew which way was up. Having a sudden flash of ingenuity, Touya reached into his bag to retrieve Rufflet's pokeball, thumbing the release and tossing it into the air. The eaglet Pokemon chirped in surprise as his feathers were immediately dampened, flapping haphazardly to perch on Touya's shoulder and squawk in annoyance. "I know buddy, it's awful out here. I just need you to fly up and find where the road is, alright? Then we'll head back to the Pokemon center and I'll dry you off with that really nice towel you like." The flying type appeared to hem and haw over the deal, chirping out what might have been a list of demands. "Alright, alright. I'll get you a treat too. The red ones, right?" The bird Pokemon nodded smugly, wings spreading as he took off into the air. George the Rufflet (named after a famous patriot due to his resembling the colors of the Unovan flag) disappeared from Touya's limited field of view, cawing loudly off to the trainer's right. The eaglet flew back several moments later, nipping petulantly at the air in front of his trainer's face. A sharp beak pressed the release on the front of the enlarged Pokeball, returning George to the (presumably) dry interior. "Thanks pal," the brunet whispered to his Pokeball, a warm smile on his face. 

A booming crack of thunder reminded Touya of where he was, and he hurriedly pushed his way through the soaking stalks of grass, plopping out onto the road shortly after. He peered around his greyed out surroundings, grateful that his hat kept the majority of the water out of his face, and saw that the Harlequins and trainers that had previously occupied this stretch of road were all absent. Apparently everyone knew when it would rain but him. 

Touya had decided that Mistralton was his least favorite city so far, despite the abundance of interesting wild Pokemon and the Celestial Tower that he was itching to explore. The moment he'd stepped out of Chargestone, he'd been brutally assaulted by one of the worst rainstorms he'd ever seen. For the next several days it continued, storms appearing on and off, seemingly at random, before clearing up just as fast as they'd appeared. One kind lady he'd spoken to had informed him that it was the work of Tornadus, a mischievous legendary that had mastery over wind and rain. Whatever the reason, the constant rain left a chill in his bones and a sour taste in his mouth. Speaking of chills... the Nuvema native's frame was wracked with shivers, cold water seeping through his jacket and into his undershirt, cooling the heated skin underneath. His hair was steadily growing damper despite the hat and hood protecting it, strands of it hanging limply in his eyes as he attempted to navigate the road.

It must have been twenty minutes before he saw something other than muddy road and wet grass; a figure, walking further down the path. He squinted through the heavy rainfall, making out... an umbrella! His plodding footsteps took on a new energy as he hastened towards reprieve from the rain. "Heeeey!" Touya called, shoes sloshing through the slurry of mud as he made his way to the figure. They turned around at the sound of another voice, coming more and more into focus as the distance between them shrank. The figure was quite a bit taller than Touya, and had a long, bushy ponytail of rain dampened hair. 

"Touya?" Confusion.

"N?" Bewilderment. 

"What are you doing out here?" they both spoke at once. The pair of trainers stared one another down for a short while, Touya's hand inching towards his bag. Then the moment was broken, and he rushed toward the taller trainer. "Thank goodness you're out here, I don't have an umbrella and I have no idea which way the Pokemon center is and the storm just came out of nowhere-" 

"Touya, you'll catch your death out here. Don't you know that severe pneumonia has a thirty percent mortality rate, even with intensive care? Especially during this time of year." N reached out and tugged the soaking teen under his umbrella by the hand. "Luckily for you, I was just on my way toward the town. Come, we'll walk there together." 

"O-oh. Yeah, sure. Uh, thanks." Touya staunchly attributed his flushed face to the cold, and not at all the close proximity. He'd never actually been this close to the older trainer before; they'd always kept a respectable distance when battling and conversing. He caught the scent of rain and grass and... expensive tea leaves? Well, N did seem much the type to enjoy tea. "So, what exactly were you doing out here?" Touya inquired. 

"I was in the Celestial Tower," was the vague reply. 

"Really? But... why? I can't imagine you were looking for wild Pokemon to catch." 

N sent him a puzzled look. "I was paying my respects. It is a Pokemon cemetery, after all. Though yes, I did also visit with the native population of Pokemon. They had many interesting things to say." 

Touya looked vaguely ashamed, reaching to scratch the back of his head nervously. "Oh. I uh, just heard there were a lot of psychic and ghost type Pokemon there. I had no idea it was a cemetery. Uhm, what sort of things did you talk about with the Pokemon? Did the Elgyem and Beheeyem tell you where they came from? Did the Litwick tell you why the lead people astray in forests at nights? Wait, that's because they suck out their life force, right? I can't believe they'd do such a thing. They're so cute, too.." 

N's smile was a little tight and a little sad. "The Elgyem and Beheeyem were not comfortable divulging such information. And that rumor about the Litwick is just that; a rumor. They are simply leading people to safety. How else could such rumors start, if no one survived being led by them?" 

"Oh. I.. guess that makes sense." Touya's shame redoubled. "Sorry, I just.. that's what I heard, and I didn't know if it was true or not so I just wanted to find out-" 

"It's alright, Touya. I'm not blaming you for the ignorance of others. Such rumors are perpetuated by those that fear what they don't understand, instead of trying to understand it."

"It's hard for some people to understand Pokemon. Especially because we can't understand them like you do. Ghost Pokemon in particular are pretty mysterious, even after all the studies that have been done of them."

"You'd be able to understand them if you simply stopped to listen," N replied, and that was apparently the end of the conversation. They walked in silence for at least half an hour, accompanied only by the pounding rain and the mud sloshing underfoot. The outskirts of Mistralton came into view soon after, along with the bright red roof of the local Pokemon center. Touya had never been so happy to see those wonderful sliding glass doors. "Well, now that you're safely out of the rain, I suppose I'll be taking my leave.."

"Huh? No, it's fine, you can stay! I can't let you go back out there, even if you do have an umbrella." Now it was Touya's turn to tug on the other trainer's hand, leading him into the Pokemon center. Twenty minutes later found them in the room that Touya had rented, N sitting stiffly on the brunet's bed with two trays of food from the cafeteria, with the younger trainer sequestered away in a hot shower. N had to be prompted several times to turn around and close his eyes when Touya finally exited the bathroom, seeing no reason as to why he had to look away. A blushing Touya rushed to get dressed, checking several times to make sure N hadn't looked before he finally sat down to enjoy their dinner. They spent several hours switching between slightly heated conversation and comfortable silence, enjoying one another's company until long after the storm had cleared and the sun had set. When N, finally took his leave it was with a lightened heart and a rekindled desire to have Touya be his opposing Hero. Touya himself was left with warm cheeks and a warmer smile, charmed by the strange but interesting trainer. Hours later, when his Pokemon had been sufficiently fed and pampered and Touya was tucked under the blankets, thoughts of the enigmatic N ran through his head. He saw the other trainer's face when he closed his eyes, and his dreams were filled with the smell of tea leaves.


End file.
